Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

The sun and warm temperatures will make it easy to trigger wet avalanches on many steep slopes. Check how much the snow freezes overnight, and move to lower-angle terrain when surfaces become wet and weak. Manage overhead hazards by limiting your time under steep, sunny slopes and cornices. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    As the snowpack becomes wet and weak, you could encounter both triggered and natural wet avalanches. Avalanches will start on east aspects early in the day and show up on westerly aspects later. If you start seeing rollerballs or natural avalanches, it's time to move to lower-angle or more shaded terrain.

    We expect most avalanches to be triggered rather than naturally occurring. We also expect most of them to be small. It may become easy to trigger avalanches on the west, through north, and east aspects at mid-elevations. The early April crust is 1 foot below the surface at 5,000ft. You could encounter larger and deeper avalanches if it becomes unsupportive to boots. These could also be initiated by cornices or large chunks of snow shedding off of rock features. 

    (4/12/2024)

    A small (D1) intentionally triggered wet avalanche was 4-5" deep. Skyline Ridge, NNE, 5,280ft

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

Avalanche Discussion

While sun and warm temperatures have moistened the recent snow already, there's still plenty available for wet avalanches. Observers reported a number of avalanches in the recent snow mid-week. These were mostly small, wet loose avalanches, though some small, drier storm and wind slab avalanches were reported on Tuesday. Up to 1 foot of snow accumulated by the 9th, leaving the early April crust 1.5-2' below the surface. Below 4,500 feet, there was little accumulation as most of the precipitation was liquid. 

Most snow will likely be wet or moist. Upper-elevation northerly aspects may hold dry snow on the surface. You will find that much of the snowpack is moist and unfrozen at low and middle elevations. Snowlines are rapidly receding, and open creeks and holes are appearing in the snow at lower and mid elevations. Many low-elevation areas lack enough snow for winter travel or avalanches.

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